Molding element including cutting means for molding and vulcanizing at least one tire tread

Abstract

A mold element for molding and vulcanizing a tire tread having a plurality of raised elements, each raised element having a contact face intended to come into contact with a road surface and lateral faces connected thereto. The mold element comprises cutting blades able to cut a cover layer already applied to a green form of the tire. Each cutting blade comprises a body, at least one of the cutting blades comprises a protrusion projecting from this body, able to drive a cut part of the cover layer into the depth of the green tire to cover all or part of a lateral face of a raised element. The cutting blade comprises, at one end of the body, a cutting edge forming an acute angle α for cutting the cover layer.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A mold element for molding and vulcanizing a tire tread, the tread comprising a plurality of raised elements, each raised element comprising a contact face adapted to come into contact with a road surface and lateral faces connected to this contact face, wherein the mold element comprises:
 cutting blades adapted to cut a cover layer already applied to a green form of a tire, 
 wherein each cutting blade comprises a body, 
 wherein at least one of the cutting blades comprises a protrusion projecting from the body, 
 wherein the protrusion is adapted to drive a cut part of the cover layer into the depth of the green tire to cover all or part of a lateral face of a raised element, 
 wherein the cutting blade comprises, at one end of the body thereof, a cutting edge forming an acute angle α for cutting the cover layer, and 
 wherein the protrusion comprises a driving pad, the driving pad being defined as a second protrusion rectangular-shaped and situated on a surface of the protrusion that comes in contact with the cover layer first. 
 
     
     
       2. The mold element according to  claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is discontinuous along the length (L) of the cutting blade. 
     
     
       3. The mold element according to  claim 1 , wherein, viewed in cross section, the protrusion has a triangular profile. 
     
     
       4. The mold element according to  claim 1 , wherein the cutting blade comprises two protrusions arranged one on each side of the body of the blade. 
     
     
       5. A mold for molding and vulcanizing a tire tread, the mold comprising a plurality of mold elements according to  claim 1 .